Recent Projects

A selection of recent ongoing and completed projects at Quintessa are listed below:

• Quintessa Contributes Performance Assessment Methods and Tools to CO2ReMoVe
  CO2ReMoVe is being carried out under the 6th Framework Programme of the European Union (EU), with funding from the EU and a number of major energy companies. The project aims to investigate the long term reliability and safety of geological CO₂ storage....
• Quintessa Applies Coupled Process Modelling to CO₂ Storage
  Quintessa's general-purpose modelling software QPAC is being used to model the performance of CO₂ geological storage at the systems level, for example to support the development of monitoring strategies, and for investigating detailed issues such as the degradation of cement well seals...
• Shell Develops Tool for Assessing Sub-surface Risks
  With assistance from Quintessa, Shell is developing a decision support tool for evaluating sub-surface CO₂ storage risks consistently across a portfolio of sites. The tool is based on Quintessa's TESLA decision support software, which implements Evidence Support Logic (ESL), and an associated decision tree...
• Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Modelling of Bentonite in Project THERESA
  The recently completed THERESA project was an international co-operative research project sponsored by the European Commission undertaken between 2007 and 2009. With support from the Swedish nuclear power regulator SSM, Quintessa contributed to the modelling of coupled thermo, hydro and mechanical (THM) processes...
• Conceptual design for the LILW repository programme in Slovenia
  Quintessa, with the support of consortium partners SCK-CEN, Belgatom and the Josef Stefan Institute, has completed a contract under the European Commission's PHARE nuclear safety programme to provide assistance in the development...
• Groundwater Flow Modelling for the Dounreay Shaft Isolation Project
  Quintessa and URS Corporation have developed groundwater flow models in the vicinity of the D1225 Shaft at Dounreay, a historic facility for Intermediate Level radioactive Waste (ILW)...
• Modelling the long-term behaviour of cement in underground vaults
  The long-term behaviour of cementitious engineered barriers is an important process to consider when modelling the stability and safety of geological repositories for nuclear waste...
• Physical Integrity of AGR Graphite Cores
  Quintessa is providing support to British Energy in a number of key areas associated with the development of defects in the graphite bricks as they age, and predictions of the evolution of graphite properties with time...
• The development and maintenance of the SimER Code
  Quintessa has developed a first version of the SimER code, which was delivered to BNFL at the end of June 2004. The code is a powerful tool for application to both the near-surface disposal of low-level radioactive wastes and contaminated land studies...
• Strategic Issues in Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning
  With the changes to the nuclear industry resulting from the establishment of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), it is important to ensure that long-term strategic issues will be satisfactorily addressed. The NDA team have produced a Strategic Issues Register (SIR) that has already been subject to some stakeholder input...
• Analysis of Critical Issues in Biosphere Assessment Modelling and Site Investigation Quintessa undertook a project for the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSI) to review issues concerned with the treatment of the biosphere and geosphere-biosphere interface in long-term performance assessment studies for nuclear waste disposal in Sweden...
• Outline Post-Closure Safety Case for the Dounreay Site UKAEA is working towards the decommissioning, restoration and closure of the Dounreay site. The Dounreay Site Restoration Plan (DSRP) provides an overall view of the decommissioning and waste management activities that are required and their schedule...
• Updating the Dounreay Site Restoration Plan for Developments in the Regulatory Approach to Site Closure
  The Dounreay Site Restoration Plan (DSRP) was issued in 2000 as part of UKAEA's response to an audit of the site by its regulators, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in 1998...
• Participation in NF-PRO
  NF-PRO is concerned with the understanding and physical and numerical modelling of key processes in the near-field of high-level waste (HLW) and spent fuel (SF) repositories in crystalline, clay and salt geologies...
• Sensitivity Analysis for Contaminated Land Safety Assessment
  Operations at the Dounreay establishment have resulted in some soil and rock becoming contaminated. The site is now entering a phase in which it is to be decommissioned and restored, which is likely to take fifty years or so...
• Post-Closure Safety Case for the Dounreay Shaft
  The ILW Shaft at Dounreay contains around 850 m³ of intermediate level radioactive waste, consigned in the 1960s and early 1970s. The historic facility does not meet modern safety standards, therefore UKAEA intends retrieving the waste for more suitable management so the Shaft can be safely closed...
• Governance in European Radioactive Waste Management - COWAM 2
  Quintessa is a participant in the newly-established COWAM 2 project on radioactive waste management governance, which has been developed within the European Commission's Sixth Framework Programme...
• Dounreay Hydrogeological Strategy
  This project developed a comprehensive long-term hydrogeological strategy for the decommissioning of the Dounreay Site. The strategy document aims to ensure that appropriate data are collected to lead to a full understanding of the movement of surface and groundwater across and beneath the whole site and that investigations are targeted and not duplicated...
• TRENDS thematic network on health, safety, environmental and quality aspects of hydrocarbon energy production
  Quintessa is a participant and working group co-leader for the European TRENDS thematic network, which brings together organisations from across Europe, to address the present and future challenges in the health, safety, environmental and quality (HSEQ) aspects of hydrocarbon energy production...
• Development of 'RCLEA' model for radioactively contaminated land
  Defra has commissioned Quintessa to develop a 'Radioactively Contaminated Land Exposure Assessment' model for quantitative risk assessment. The project involves the development of documentation and associated computer models...
• Preliminary safety analysis report for the Baita Bihor low-level radioactive waste repository
  Quintessa has been awarded a contract under EuropeAid's PHARE programme to produce a preliminary safety analysis report (PSAR) for the Baita Bihor low-level radioactive waste repository in Romania...
• Sequestration of CO₂ in geothermal areas
  Quintessa is providing numerical modelling support to a project investigating the feasibility of sequestering atmospheric CO₂ in geothermal areas...
• The Practical Application of a Reference Biospheres Methodology to Derive Flux to Dose Conversion Factors for the Japanese H12 Performance Assessment As part of the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute's (JNC) on-going programme of R&D work relating to the deep geological disposal of HLW, a Reference Biospheres Methodology has been applied to develop a series of Japanese-specific assessment biospheres for use in the H12 assessment...
• Understanding Groundwater Flow and Radionuclide Transport at the Dounreay Shaft
  Quintessa has carried out a reinterpretation of the geology, hydrogeology and geochemistry of the Dounreay site in support of the Dounreay Site Restoration Plan. The primary focus of this study was the region surrounding the D1225 LLW and ILW disposal shaft, for which waste retrieval and environmental remediation are planned...
• Application of Evidence Support Logic (ESL) to the Role of Palaeohydrogeology in Performance Assessment
  The purpose of this study was to use the ESL approach to provide a structured logical analysis of the use of palaeohydrogeological evidence in support of site evaluation and safety case development...
• Long-term management of low and intermediate level radioactive waste in Ontario
  OPG contracted Quintessa to undertake a preliminary assessment of the long-term radiological safety of four permanent repository concepts for the management of low and intermediate level radioactive waste at the Western Waste Management Facility on the Bruce Site, Ontario, Canada...
• Online database for CO₂ storage features, events & processes
  Quintessa has developed a generic FEP database (http://www.quintessa-online.com/co2/) for the geological storage of CO₂. FEPs are the features, events, and processes that are relevant to describe the behaviour of CO₂ in the system being assessed...
• Performance assessment workshop for UKAEA staff
  Quintessa recently ran a one-week residential course in Performance Assessment (PA) for UKAEA technical and project management staff from Dounreay and Harwell sites...
• Modelling of waste package evolution scenarios for the Nirex phased disposal concept
  Following the development of waste package evolution scenarios for the geological disposal of cemented intermediate-level wastes, Quintessa has developed a model to investigate the importance of time dependence and heterogeneity effects on post-closure repository performance...
• Version 2.0 of PRISM foodchain modelling software
  The PRISM code uses a 'wrapped' version of the AMBER compartmental modelling software with a bespoke Graphical User Interface that provides direct access to a parameter database...
• Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO) Studies in Support of the Dounreay Site Restoration Plan
  Quintessa has led a number of options appraisals studies for UKAEA relating to various aspects of decommissioning and site restoration planning for the Dounreay site, including evaluation of plans for the Dounreay Shaft end state as well as alternative endpoints for the whole Dounreay site...
• Summary of SAFEGROUNDS guidance document
  A short summary of the SAFEGROUNDS guidance document "Good practice guidance for the management of contaminated land on nuclear and defence sites", has just been issued. This is intended to promote awareness and the use of the guidance...
• Best Practicable Environmental Option for Low Level Waste at Dounreay
  UKAEA Dounreay conducted a programme of public consultation on options for the long-term management of low-level radioactive waste arising from the restoration of the site with the aim of identifying the 'Best Practicable Environmental Option'...
• Development of Waste Package Evolution Scenarios
  Quintessa has assisted Nirex in developing waste package evolution scenarios for the geological disposal of low-level and intermediate-level wastes, as input to investigating the importance of time-dependency and heterogeneity effects on post-closure repository performance...
• Post-closure safety of SFR
  Quintessa has provided support to SKI in evaluating SKB's case for the post-closure safety of the SFR 1 repository at Forsmark in Sweden...
• Acceptance Criteria and Comparison of Options for Storage and Disposal of Radioactive Waste in Italy
In the first phase of this work, Quintessa provided support to SOGIN in the areas of repository siting and safety analysis covering two main themes...
• Post-closure safety assessment of the borehole disposal concept for disused radioactive sealed sources
  Quintessa has carried out a generic post-closure safety assessment of the borehole disposal concept for disused radioactive sealed sources for the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation...
• Provision of Support for the 2002 Post-Closure Radiological Safety Assessment of the Drigg Near Surface Low Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility
  Quintessa has provided support to BNFL for the development and documentation of the Drigg 2002 PCRSA...
• International Peer Review of Yucca Mountain Total System Performance Assessment
  The United States is moving closer to selecting a national facility for the underground disposal of highly radioactive materials. An international team of experts, including David Hodgkinson the Managing Director of Quintessa, was convened by the IAEA and the NEA of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development...
• Barite, basin plumbing, and resource emplacement
  Sedimentary basins contain much of the earth's exploitable metalliferous mineral resources and all of its hydrocarbon reserves. These accumulations result from either vertical and/or lateral movement of fluids from source rocks to reservoirs. An idea of the scale of fluid movement associated with resource emplacement can be obtained from studies of the occurrence of sparingly soluble minerals such as barite (BaSO₄)...
• Are bentonite and cement compatible as sealing materials?
  Quintessa has recently completed an experimental and modelling study financially supported by JNC to investigate the likely solid and fluid products of cement-bentonite interaction at temperatures ranging up to 90°C...